Denise Patters, J.D.

Dee joined Catholic Charities in August 2018 as an Immigration Attorney and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).  Her previous employment as Assistant Hardin County Attorney in focused on prosecuting and strengthening services for victim-based crimes, with an emphasis on intimate partner violence and child sexual abuse.  Prior to her work in Hardin County, Dee served as Assistant Floyd County Attorney and Law Clerk in the Third Judicial District of the State of Minnesota.  Dee earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of Iowa College of Law and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in Religion from Smith College.  During her studies, Dee had the privilege to work in the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands, and she was awarded a Certificate of Success from the René Cassin Foundation for her involvement in the 40 ^th Annual Study Session on the Effectiveness of the International Protection of Social Rights at the Institut International des Droits de l’Homme in Strasbourg, France.